The Love of Struggling Toil in God’s Fields (Colossians 1:24-29).
length: 60:00 - taught on Oct, 28 2026
Class Outline:
Wednesday October 28, 2026
Intro: Review of the sentence.
For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
“For this purpose” - what is the purpose?
Review the sentence.
Paul suffered for the sake of the church (v. 24), but not just once.
So Paul was a servant steward of the church (v. 25) and he was made so by God.
Despite current distinctions Paul never differentiated between evangelism and discipleship in God’s mission.
The mystery, Christ now revealed, drew people into the sphere of Christ.
Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
Paul’s desire is to present every person mature, and he includes us in that mission.
The mystery once hidden is now revealed, salvation by grace and the new life in Christ by grace. It cannot remain hidden in the hearts of the saints, so Paul says, “We proclaim Him.”
The plural pronoun, “we,” includes his partners in the gospel mission (Timothy, Epaphras, Tychicus, Onesimus, Aristarchus, Justus, Luke, Nympha, Archippus). This team is distinguished from the false teachers.
With all wisdom means that we can communicate our uncompromised message of Christ in any context.
Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”
Along with the strategy, Paul also identifies our universal audience for the mission.
“Every person” extends the range of the mission to the borderless domain of our Savior and King.
Part 2: The love of working in God’s fields.
For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.
Fallen man vs. born again.
Fallen man: We have all inherited from Adam a sin nature. In the Garden the service of God was our keenest pleasure. Now we ignore Him and we seek happiness apart from Him.
You will not be effective if you do not love it
since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints…
constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love
Fallen man only loves self, and even in that, there is no joy.
Resurrection of the new man:
what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
The tension that arises between the pride of the old creation and the grace of the new creation is not a guaranteed outcome.
That's why I work and struggle so hard [NLT]
The servant stewards job:
Paul lived with the prospect that his ministry could present every person mature in Christ before Christ.
“I labor” (kopiao) - toil, labor, weary
In the NT of: work in general as in manual labor (2CO 6:5; 11:27; EPH 4:28); and Christian work in and for the community (Paul’s: 1CO 4:12; 15:10; GAL 4:11; PHI 2:16; COL 1:29; 1TH 2:9; 3:5; 2TH 3:8; 2CO 11:23; and of the toil of other Christians 1TH 5:12; 1CO 16:16; ROM 16:6, 12; 1CO 3:8; 15:58; 2CO 10:15).
“Striving” (agonizomai) - fight, strive.
United with kopio both words designate the intense labor and effort of Paul toward the one goal of presenting every man perfect in Christ.
The toiling is strenuous and its purpose is in nourishing the body of Christ.
For it is for this (teaching sound doctrine) we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
What is God’s strength for? Believer fulfilling his servant steward job.
strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience
Paul reveals his humility as a great man.
Without His power we wouldn’t last an hour, but with it, we are more than adequate for a lifetime of strenuous works.
God’s power within:
according to His power, which mightily works within me.
His power (energeia) which mightily (energeo) works (dunamis).
“I labor strenuously according to His power which works powerfully in my life.”
As Paul strives (all present tenses), so God continues to work mightily within him.
I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
[“things” in his role as servant steward]
When a created thing gives power it loses power or is in debt.
That does not mean you won’t get tired. Even Christ got tired, but it does mean that you will be able to work until the task is finished.
You set about the work of God’s steward, convinced that it is your life as God’s servant, saint, child and God will provide the power to accomplish it.
“Within me” - in my life.
The entire sentence is a testimony from Paul about his life in the service of Christ.
Conclusion:
The love of working God’s fields is the love of the work itself.
It is the love of the crop, which are people.
It is the love of the scenery, which is the love of the world.
It is the love of the soil, the human soul and its potential in Christ.
It is love of the seed, which is the Word of God, the gospel, the mystery.
It is the love of the future, the harvest, imagining the inheritance.
All of us have a hurdle to overcome here, an ignorance to fill with God’s mind, which is love of the work itself.
God empowers the attitude that aligns with His own.
It is toil, strenuous, and suffering, but these are not worthy to be compared with the glory given to mankind.
God has given us the same life as Christ. The life of the divine in a world desperate for God’s love.
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